Container



Aug. 25, 1942. H, MERKER ET AL CONTAINER Filed Jan. '7, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY.

Aug. 25, 1942. H. MERKER ETAL CONTAINER 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed Jan. 7, 1939 ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 25, 1942 i CONTAINER Herman Meiker, Milwaukee, and Howard L. Newton, Wauwatosa, Wis., assgnors to Pressed Steel Tank Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin ApplicationJanuary 7, 1939, Serial No. 249,684

-(Cl. 22o-39) 10 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in containers especially adapted for use with beer or other carbonated beverages.

The object of the invention is to provide a container of this character which is very much simplified in its construction, much lighter in weight, sanitary in character, easily handled, and capable of economical production from materials and by means of` facilities ordinarily available.

The barrel has but a single opening through which it is iilled, cleaned, pitched and tapped. A tting is provided which makes it practical to quickly close the barrel immediately after it is lled with beer (and the nozzle of the racking arm of a racking machine removed) so as to avoid foaming and preclude loss of the beer. Thereafter the fitting is permanently closed and sealed, thus to provide a permanently closed package which can not accidentally become open and yet may be readily tapped at the point of use in the ordinary manner. The construction also lends itself to the application and retention of the Government Revenue Stamp in a manner convenient and in accordance with governmental regulations.

Other objects and advantages reside in certain novel features of the construction, arrangement, and combination of parts which will be hereinafter more fully -described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings form ing a part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in transverse vertical section showing a beer barrel embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a group View on an enlarged scale showing the parts of the combination tting in transverse vertical section and illustrating them disassembled, a fragment of the upper end head of the beer barrel also being shown in section;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the parts assembled;

Figure 4 is a view in top plan of a retaining ring;

Figure 5 is a similar Vview of the tap fitting;

Figure 6 is a view in top plan of the barrel Iitting;

Figure '7 is a view in top plan showing the tap fitting assembled with the barrel fitting;

FigureV 8 is a view in transverse vertical cross section showing a slightly modified form of construction from that illustrated in Figures 1 to 7;

Figure 9 is a view in top plan of the structure shown in Figure 8, a part of the tap iitting being broken away and shown in section for the sake of illustration; y

Figure 10 is a View in transverse vertical seotion taken on line IIJ--IU of Figure 11 and illustrating one Way in which the retaining ring and lock ring may be interconnected; and

Figure 11 is a view in top plan of the structure shown in Figure 10.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figure 1, it will be seen that the beer barrel designated generally at I is made up of two tub-like sections designated at 2 and 3. Each section may be drawn'from a single piece of metal to provide a body portion 4 and an cnd head 5 integral with the body portion. The open ends of the sections have their edges abutting and welded by means of a circumferential weld 6. The chime structure I may bet welded to the end head 5 of the lower section 3. The end head 5 of the upper section 2 may have a reinforcing plate 8 welded thereto and may be equipped with a handle 9.

The barrel is provided with a single opening designated at I0 and located centrally of the end head 5 of the upper section 2 of the barrel. This opening is suiciently large to permit of lling, cleaning, pitching and tapping therethrough and is equipped with a special fitting structure which makes these operations practical and convenient.

The fitting structure comprises a short cylindrical barrel fitting I2 which has an inturned flange I3 around its lower end and an outturned flange I 4 around its upper end. The peripheral portion of the lower end of the barrel fitting is channeled or cut away as at I5 so as to interfit with the margin of the opening I0. The opening in the reinforcing plate 8 is slightly larger than the opening I0 to accommodate the lower end of the barrel tting in the manner shown in Figure 2. Welds I6 and Il permanently unite the lower end of the barrel fitting to the reinforcing plate and to the end head 5 of the upper section and also provide a leak-proof joint between the barrel fitting and the barrel structure. The under face of the inturned iiange I3 of the barrel fitting is rounded as at IB to provide for free drainage when'the barrel is inverted for pitching or washing. The top face of this flange I3 is machined to provide a gasket seat I9 on which an annular gasket 20 is disposed. Above 'the gasket a slight distance, the barrel tting is provided with screw threads 2|. At three angularly spaced points the screw threads are interrupted or cut away so as to provide vertical slots 22 therethrough for a purpose which will presently appear.

A tap fitting, designated generally at 25, is provided and has a tubular body portion 26 provided with an outwardly extending integral base flange 21 at its lower end. 'Ihe underside of the ange 21 is machined or finished so as to be adapted to engage and compress the gasket in the assembly. The` ase ange is provided with a suitable number, in this form of the invention three, outwardly extending ears 28, the

top surfaces of which are inclined or tapered as indicated at 29. The upper end of the tubular body portion of' the tap fitting is provided with the usual out turned flange 30 for csi-operation with the standard tap. The bore or opening through the tubular body portion in the tap fitting is closed by means of the usual cork or plug 3|.

'Ihe tap fitting 25 is designed and proportioned so that its ears 28 may be passed down through the slots 22 and to a position below the threads 2 I. In this position aslight rotation or twisting of the tap fitting will cause the beveled surfaces 29 of the ears 28 to have camming engagement with the shoulder presented just below the threads 2|, forcing the tap fitting 25 downwardly and causing the underside of its base iiange 21 to compress the gasket 2U. 'I'his structure provides for quick temporary sealing of the barrel.

For the purpose of permanently maintaining these parts in sealed `relation a retaining ring 32 is provided and has its outer periphery provided with screw threads' 33 designed to interengage with the screw threads 2|. The ring 32 has openings 34 extending up through its upper face to enable it to be manipulated by a spanner wrench or a suitable tool. By turning the ring so as to cause it to travel down in the barrel fitting under the action of the threads 33 and 2|, the underface of the ring will be brought into engagement with the machined face 21 of the base flange 21 of the tap fitting and will very firmly as well as powerfully, force the tap fitting downwardly to bring about proper and permanent compression ef the gasket 20.

The Government revenue stamp, designated at 35, may then be placed over the tap fitting and its center will overlie the plug 3| as required by the regulations, and its corners project beyond the fiange I4 of the barrel fitting. 'I'he stamp may then be secured' in position by crimpingV a crown ring or annular retaining member 36 about the flange I4 in the usual way.

With this construction, the contents of the barrel cannot be removed unless the stamp is cancelled in the prescribed manner by forcing the cork into the container, or the crown seal and stamp completely removed.

When a barrel is being filled with beer, the inward flange |3 is engaged with the filling device. After the barrel has been filled with beer from the racking machine and the nozzle of the racking arm is removed, pressure on the beer is released, which tends to cause foaming and requires that the closure must be effected quickly to avoid loss of the beer. This may be readily done by quickly introducing the tap fitting into the barrel fitting in the manner described and rotating it to temporarily compress the gasket and hold it in position. Thereafter the retain-f ing ring 32 and stamp 35 and crown 36 are applied in the manner described.

The construction shown in Figures 8 to 10 inclusive, is identical with that Just described and the foregoing description applies thereto except that an additional element is combined with the retaining ring designated in Figures 8 to 10 at 32'. This additional element comprises a lock- ,ing ring I0 which is intertted with the retaining ring so as to be held against-axial movement relative thereto although freely rotatable with respect thereto. The locking ring I0' and its lugs 4| are so dimensioned and proportioned that when placed in position the upper portions of the lugs 4| bear against the shoulders or abutments presented bythe threads 2| along the vertical lmargin of each slot 22 whereas the lower portions of these lugs 4| present a stop or ob struction disposed in the path of movement of the ears 28 of the tap ttlng 25. In this way the retaining ring I0 is itself held against rotation and its lugs 4| prevent movement of the tap fitting to a position where its ears are alined with the slots 22, in which position of course, it would be released and the seal impaired.

While I have shown and described several constructions in which the invention may be advantageously embodied, it is to be understood that the constructions shown have been selected merely for the purpose of illustration or example and that various changes in the size, shape and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. A barrel for carbonated beverages having a single opening, a barrel fitting secured to the barrel and surrounding said opening, said barrel fitting having a gasket seat, a gasket on said seat, a tap fitting having a base ring adapted to engage and compress said gasket against its seat, means affording a quick .attachabie connection between the base ring of the tap fitting and the barrel fitting, said quick attachable connection including a camming structure for causing said base ring to compress said gasket against its seat, and a retaining ring threadedly interconnected with the barrel fitting and engageable with the top of the base flange of the tap fitting to prevent accidental detachment of said attachable connection. v

2. A barrel for carbonated beverages having a single opening, a barrel fitting secured to the barrel land surrounding the opening, said barrel fitting having a-fgasket seat, a gasket on said seat, a tap fitting having a base ange engaged with the gasket to compress it against said seat when the tap fitting is attached to the barrel fitting, said barrel fitting having arcuate downwardly facing shoulders, there being vertical slots between said shoulders, said base flange having outwardly directed ears provided with beveled upper surfaces, said ears being adapted to be passed down through the slots and then rotated into cammng engagement with the shoulders, whereby to afford a quick atbachable connection between the tap fitting and the barrel fitting and to compress the gasket between these parts, and a retaining ring threadedly interconnected with the barrel fitting and adapted to press downwardly on the ibase fiange of the tap tting to permanently secure it in position and to further compress the gasket.

3. A barrel for carbonated beverages having a single opening, a barrel fitting secured to the barrel and surrounding the opening, said barrel tting having a. gasket seat, a gasket Von said seat, a tap fitting having a base flange engaged with the gasket to compress it against said seat when the tap fitting is attached to the barrel fitting, said' barrel fitting having arcuate -downwardly facing shoulders, there being vertical slots between said shoulders, said base ring having outwardly directed ears provided with beveled upper surfaces, said ears being adapted to be passed down through the slots and then rotated into camming engagement with the shoulders, whereby to afford a quick attachable connection between the tap fitting and the barrel fitting and to *compress the gasket between these parts, and a retaining ring threadedly interconnected with the barrel fitting and adapted to press downwardly on the base flange of the tap fitting to permanently secure it in position and to further compress the gasket, in combination with :a locking ring interposed between the retaining ring and said base fiange, and having lugs, portions of thelugs ,being disposed in said slots and restrained against rotation thereby, other portions of said lugs being disposed behind said ears to back up the same.

4. A barrel having an opening, a barrel fitting for said opening, said fitting having an internally threaded portion, la tap fitting fitted within and engaged with said barrel fitting, a camming surface on each of said fittings, said surfaces interengaged below said threaded portion, and a retaining ring threadedly interrelated with said threaded portion and engaged with said tap fitting.

5. A barrel having an' opening, a barrel fitting for said opening, said fitting having an internally threaded portion, a tap fitting fitted within and engaged with said barrel fitting and having an outturned flange-on its upper end, a camming surface on each of said fittings interengaged below said threaded portion, and a retaining ring threadedly interrelated with said threaded portion and engaged with said tap fitting, said ring being positioned wholly below said outturned fiange.

6. A barrel having an opening, a barrel fitting for said opening, said fitting having an internally threaded portion, a tap fitting fitted within and engaged with said barrel fitting, a camming surface on said tap fitting engaged with the bottom of said threaded portion, and a retaining ring threadedly interrelated with said threaded portion and engaged with said fitting.

7. A barrel having an opening, a barrel fitting for said opening, said fitting having an internally threaded portion, a vertical slot extending through said portion. -a tap fitting tted within and engaged with said barrel fitting, a camming surface on said tap fitting slidable downwardly through said slot and engaged with the bottom of said threaded portion adjacent said slot, Aand a retaining ring threadedly interrelated with said threaded portion and engaged with said tap fitting.

8. A barrel having an opening, a barrel fitting for said opening, said fitting having an internally threaded portion, a vertical slot extending through said portion, a tap fitting fitted within Iand engaged with said barrel fitting and having an outturned flange on its upper end, a camming surface on said tapA fitting slidable downwardly through said slot and engaged with the bottom of said threaded portion adjacent said slot, and a retaining ring threadedly interrelated with said threaded portion and engaged with said tap fitting, said ring being positioned below said outturned flange.

9. A barrel having an opening, a barrel fitting for said opening, a tap fitting fitted within and engaged circumferentially with the interior of said barrel fitting, a first camming surface on each of said fittings, each of said surfaces being interengaged to quickly lock said tap fitting within said barrel fitting, a retaining ring fitted over said tap fitting, a second camming surface on said ring, a second camming surface within said Ibarrel fitting, said second 'camming surfaces being interengalged at a Apoint above said first camming surfaces, the pitch of said second .camming surfaces being less than the pitch of said first camming surfaces thereby providing a supplemental lock adding further pressure to the engagementbetween said tap fitting and said barrel fitting.

10. A barrel having an opening, a barrel fitting for said opening, said 'barrel fitting having an inwardly extending flange forming an upwardly facing seat on the lower end thereof, -a gasket on said seat, a, tubular tap fitting fitted within said barrel fitting and engaged with said gasket, said tap fitting having an outturned flange on its upper end suitable for cooperation with a standard tap, a retaining ring fitting over said tap fitting and positioned within said barrel fitting entirely below and 'in spaced relation to said outturned flange, an internal camming surface on said barrel fitting, and a camming surface on said retaining ring, said surfaces being interenglageable Within said barrel fitting and below said outturned iiange.

HERMAN MERKER. HOWARD L. NEWTON. 

